SELA advocates for a new regional social pact to overcome the consequences of the pandemic

The Permanent Secretary of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), Ambassador Javier Paulinich, underscored the need to promote a new inclusive social pact with greater citizen participation and recovery measures in order to achieve the social and economic revival of all countries affected by the pandemic.

During his participation in the Virtual Ministerial Summit on Social Inclusion for Latin America and the Caribbean entitled “Informality and Social Inclusion in times of COVID-19”, organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the government of Dominican Republic, Paulinich stated that “SELA is ready to collaborate” in the efforts to “devise a new post-pandemic social pact. There is clarity about its elements and actions. It is a great political and historical challenge for the region”.

“A crisis of this scale inescapably requires concertation of the international community as a whole and efforts may be insufficient without involving all sectors in the search for viable and feasible solutions, in the wake of the emergency”, he said.

The Permanent Secretary of SELA recalled that Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the most affected regions by the coronavirus, and therefore considered that “a strengthened and renewed multilateral cooperation will be required for the adoption of more inclusive and humane policies that count on the contributions of the most diverse representatives of society so as to mitigate damages”.

“It is time to take action, we can no longer wait. This is the time to rise to this challenge with unity and solidarity in order to overcome the pandemic and its consequences on poverty in all its dimensions, now and in the future”.

As a regional intergovernmental organization, SELA seeks to promote a system of consultation and coordination, promote cooperation with the purpose of strengthening economic and social development, and improve policy implementation through the exchange of experiences and best practices.